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FrozenGate by Avery

Why can't I burn stuff?

Joined
Oct 24, 2008
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So I recently took another stab at a blu-ray and this time, I got the solder in much better with a thinner tip. I hate how the solder becomes orange though, I think it has some nasty flux in it but it came with the Wellers soldering iron so I figured it would be okay. One of the solder also has some black stuff next to it, I think I fried the flux too much lol.

So I put in what I believe is a weak 9V, but the thing lights up YAY! And if I look at it, my eyes hurt so I think the power is fine. BUT...

Anything black I point it to...nothing happens. Why can't I burn anything? The focus doesnt seem to help, or maybe I have no clue what to do with it. Has it gotten "LED" on me (absolutely no clue what that phrase means, heard it around though).

Thanks for any help.
 





We need more details such as:

Diode type:

Driver type:

How much ma?

Power source:

Possibly even pictures.
 
Like Spyderz already said, it has to be focused to burn. I even think 150mA is pushing it, but you should be getting a ton of power out of it. 9V is perfect. Also, you should get safety goggles. You shouldn't be able to tell if it is too bright to look at, if you get what I'm saying...
 
I was in the same situation..

Then I tried focusing -- omg that was the problem.

Try turning the silver tip of your AixiZ housing until the beam is a "pin-point" at whatever distance you are trying to burn on. (different focus from something 1' vs. 10' from you) Once you see it, you will sh*t.


:)
 
405nm is sightly harder to focus than other wavelengths because your eyes have such a hard time focusing on it so you find it hard to see if the dot is small or not.

-Adam
 
I'm running mine at 150mA (powered by 6 AAAs), and it will pop a black-marked balloon in a few seconds, unfocused. If it can do that, you are getting as much power out of it as you're going to.
 
I dont understand, when I pop in the battery, I see a very bright dot which then darkens, as if the battery is dying. I found this old 9V on the floor in my electronics lab and I cant seem to find a new one anywhere >:(

So that might be the problem, but what I did to try it is, I took a black plastic bag and set the laser 2 inches above it. I then powered it, looked away and veeeryy slowly turned the focuser in the front of the AixiZ so every beam diameter can have a chance to burn...this attempt to find the right focus failed too.

I hope its the battery, cuz the laser hurts my eyes if I look at it for 1 second lol, it's definitely working.
 
OHNOITZALASER said:
I dont understand, when I pop in the battery, I see a very bright dot which then darkens, as if the battery is dying. I found this old 9V on the floor in my electronics lab and I cant seem to find a new one anywhere >:(

So that might be the problem, but what I did to try it is, I took a black plastic bag and set the laser 2 inches above it. I then powered it, looked away and veeeryy slowly turned the focuser in the front of the AixiZ so every beam diameter can have a chance to burn...this attempt to find the right focus failed too.

I hope its the battery, cuz the laser hurts my eyes if I look at it for 1 second lol, it's definitely working.
There is your problem.
Measure the voltage of the battery on your DMM. If it is below 7 volts, then that is the reason it won't burn. Or, wear sunglasses and try to find the focus. It is better than nothing...
 
Okay, found ANOTHER battery laying around, very old, but this time I'm guessing there was more voltage coming out than the other one.

The light is extremely bright, after 30 minutes of focusing, tweaking, moving, I managed to make tiny hole in a black plastic bag, and some very thin (1/8") cuts.

Tomorrow, I will buy brand new batteries. When focusing, how does one tell if the cutting is working? I noticed sometimes the light pulses even when untouched, and the first time this happened it cut a hole and smoke came out, but the other times, it really didnt do much.
 
new batteries will do a world of good.


try focusing to a very short distance - say 6 inches or so, and start out further back than that (with a wide beam at that point), and bring in the laser closer and closer (you will see your beam getting smaller) until you see smoke coming out from whatever you're aiming at. it should be nice and focused, You can easily burn electrical tape, and especially garbage bags. You just need a steady hand - don't go all crazy, or nothing really happens.
 
GooeyGus said:
[quote author=OHNOITZALASER link=1228345229/0#0 date=1228345229] And if I look at it, my eyes hurt so I think the power is fine.


:-? :-? :-? :-?[/quote]

LOL

You'll need fresh batteries. If your diode is really running at 150mA you shouldn't have a hard time focusing it to the point it will burn. I also only use glass lenses on my lasers. Not only do they have better optical properties but they also have a larger opening on each side. The acrylic lenses have a very small hole to let the light in. :(

It may only come down to a few mW but they're better if your constantly gonna be turning it because they are smooth and wont break. :P

http://store.oemlasersystems.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9_71_75&products_id=422
 
Xplorer877 said:
[quote author=GooeyGus link=1228345229/0#12 date=1229214122][quote author=OHNOITZALASER link=1228345229/0#0 date=1228345229] And if I look at it, my eyes hurt so I think the power is fine.


:-? :-? :-? :-?[/quote]

LOL

You'll need fresh batteries. If your diode is really running at 150mA you shouldn't have a hard time focusing it to the point it will burn. I also only use glass lenses on my lasers. Not only do they have better optical properties but they also have a larger opening on each side. The acrylic lenses have a very small hole to let the light in. :(

It may only come down to a few mW but they're better if your constantly gonna be turning it because they are smooth and wont break. :P

http://store.oemlasersystems.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9_71_75&products_id=422

[/quote]
You do know that the glass lenses used with Blu-Rays will kill them faster, right?
It reflects the light back into the diode and degrades the Gallium Nitrade chip :(

BTW, with the plastic lenses, you can cut the hole bigger.
 
Spyderz20x6 said:
You do know that the glass lenses used with Blu-Rays will kill them faster, right?
It reflects the light back into the diode and degrades the Gallium Nitrade chip :(

BTW, with the plastic lenses, you can cut the hole bigger.

Regular, uncoated glass shouldn't reflect much of the light - at least no more than a red or green would reflect, right?
 





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